Voting and the problem with not doing it.

So, unless you don’t have the Internet you likely know all about Russell Brand’s recent Newsnight interview, during which he advocated not voting and revolution. His reasons were good ones, and true ones, but the action recommended is, in my own opinion, reckless. I think it would be difficult to argue against the notion that self-interest and the interests of the corporate world far outweigh the need to take genuinely effective action against the very immediate and urgent problems of poverty, climate change and wealth disparity. I’ve mentioned it before and it’s still true that our democracy, so-called, isn’t really a democracy at all, more an elective oligarchy. There is no real alternative. At least not yet, although the Green Party occasionally show promise.

But. There are consequences to withdrawing your vote. There are differences between the parties, albeit small ones. One of them is accused of indulging in the demonisation of the poor, vulnerable and disabled. Another is criticised for being seemingly unable to keep a single promise it ever makes and shows no sign of the smallest backbone. Another has huge problems, is too much like the others to offer a genuine alternative, but doesn’t do quite so many of the unpleasant things the other two do. While some things won’t change regardless of who is in power, some other things do. And it is important to choose which side of that line you want to stand on. You choose that side by voting.

There is another reason, a better one. If enough people stop voting (and we are already not far from the cusp of this), then there is the risk that those who do vote will vote for parties wholly abhorrent to the majority. There seems little chance at the moment of the British National Party enjoying the level of support they had a few years ago, and if the English Defence League ever decide to become a political party, it is unlikely they will get widespread support, but, and it’s a big but, if we all make like Brand and stop voting, it’s leaving a crack in the door for them to get in – they don’t need a percentage of the population to support them, they only need a percentage of those who vote. The more likely proposition is the BNP-lite UKIP, who have enjoyed an up-swelling in support recently, despite having no real manifesto for running the country other than wanting to blow a big raspberry at Europe. If you find you are having trouble bringing yourself to vote because of the discomfort of seemingly arbitrarily supporting a system you know is unworkable and the very definition of the modern phrase ‘epic fail’, then simply vote to halt the spreading of the far right. All those of us who are not racist dicks have a duty to our country, to vote and stop this ugliness from taking over. While it is perhaps an extreme comparison to make, it is nonetheless noteworthy that in 1930s Germany, the Nazi party gained power even though they weren’t particularly popular and never gained more than 37.4% of the vote. There is more than one type of revolution. The same applies in America. Whichever party is in power, little changes. But there is still a choice to make; an ideological line to stand on either side of.

So what is there to do? Brand was open and honest about the fact that he has no solution and is certainly not the person we should look to to provide one. Is there one? Well, maybe there’s the start of one. Make your mark on the ballot and choose your side, safe in the knowledge that it doesn’t matter much either way. Do it even if it is for no other reason than to neutralise a vote for the far right. And then, focus on your local community, for this is where your power to change truly lies. Be involved as much or as little as you like. Whether you run for a councillor’s spot, become a Community Support Officer, donate to a local homeless shelter or volunteer in a food bank or merely support your local library and businesses, you are a potent force for positive local change. And it’s like a ripple in an ocean; on the face of it there seems no way it can make a real difference on a grand scale, but we have the numbers, and if there is enough of us, we have the collective will to force those who purport to lead us down a different path.

Viva la revolución!